| SPECIAL
DRAGONSFOOT PREVIEW
By
Gary Gygax
©
2001 Trigee enterprises Company. All rights reserved.
In case you aren’t familiar with the
Living Dead creatures found in the LA RPG, beware! In average,
these monsters are more dangerous and able than those found
in most other fantasy game systems. That said, what follows
should come as no great surprise…
Some months back we were discussing the
creatures of interesting and useful sort to add to the existing
LEJENDARY ADVENTURETM RPG Beasts of Lejend core
rules book. Many new entries were generated by Lejend Masters
and players, and these will be appearing regularly in Lejends
Magazine. Of all done, and this includes a number of my own
creation, there is no doubt that the monstrous creature sent
in from Trinidad by Angel Stewart was
the hands-down best of show! So here, Gentle Reader, is that
singular monster for your shuddersome enjoyment:
The Soucouyant
Soucouyant in General: The soucouyants are
super-demonical monsters, were created by demonic rituals
during the Age of Adepts. In its former life a soucouyant
was usually a person whose deeds were wicked in the extreme,
usually involved many heinous crime. Such actions brought
the individual to the attention of one or another of the great
netherbeing lords. At that point, the demon, devil, etc.
would convey to one or another evil Adept that a new “recruit”
was ready. The Adept, or a servant, possibly a soucouyant,
then approached the chosen individual, and introduced that
one to the pain, and pleasure, of becoming a truly demonical
monster, a soucouyant! The initial portion of the vile ritual
left the candidate in a state near death. At that point, the
choice was put to them: Become a servant of the nether realms…or
die.
Only a very few of the candidates refused
to submit, so in time a large number of these terrible creatures
were in the service of the many malign Adepts. Being as wicked
and intelligent as they are, however, not many of the soucouyants
remained “loyal”, one after another these most malign things
slipped away from their masters, departed with burning rage
at their condition, and even more evil in their heart.
In all, the soucouyant seems to be a creature
without motivation—other than doing evil, inflicting pain
and death upon all life so as to assuage its own self-loathing
and dark despair. Note that this hopelessness is based on
the monster’s rage at not being human, unable to do its wickedness
in that state, and has nothing to do with any regret for being
completely evil.
Recalling its previous life as faint echoes
and generally drifting through the world, continuing the same
acts they inflicted on populations in their twisted lives,
the soucouyants spread over the whole of the world. Blood
became what most seek, enjoying the taste of it beyond measure.
While wearing their human skins, they can pretend to lead
normal human lives, usually that of some scholar or wealthy
aristocrat. Thus some may go unnoticed by average humans.
To those attuned to the Extraordinary, with
ability to detect the malign, however, any soucouyant emits
a strange aura. Once having seen this dark emanation, the
individual will forever recognize this dreadful aura, associate
it with these creatures.
The soucouyant is not bound to the skin
it wore in mortal life. In fact, it must shed it with the
coming of night. Not only that, but the vile thing can very
well kill and strip the skin of another mortal, and thus it
takes on that new identity, the appearance being the same
in all respects as to that of its murdered victim. However,
the successful assumption of the personality of the victim
requires the use of the soucouyant’s Pretence Ability and
mimicry Knack.
All of them, however, must answer the call
of the nether lord that originally singled each out for transformation
to their soucouyant state. When commanded, the soucouyant
must obey the bidding of this hellish master or mistress.
This usually pertains to some machination in regards the never-ending
power struggle of the nether realms or the battle between
“Good and Evil”.
Soucouyants are creatures of the mundane
dimensional matrices, but they must do the work of their master;
so when called, one will perforce move into the aetherial,
pay homage and obey. It is up to the LM to determine the
motivation of the soucouyant encountered in a scenario. Very
polarized Avatars, either very good or very evil, will attract
the attention of one nether lord or another, and thus it might
be that such malign netherbeing will send a servant to deal
with such persons, kindly killing them, cruelly making them
into soucouyants. Good Avatars will be tempted to become
corrupt and evil. For the reasons previously stated, the
wicked will be converted and used…
The height and weight of one of these horrible
creatures varies through the human spectrum, that is from
about five feet to as tall as seven feet, weight likewise
spanning the range of human norm. When a soucouyant ages,
it will leave its old skin, slay and flay a victim, thus assuming
that one’s bodily form whilst retaining its own mind and capacities.
The creature has good senses, with all except
sight being equivalent to what by human standards are excellent.
Vision in lightless conditions is like that of a grotto wylf;
however during the day the soucouyant sees with normal human
vision, and suffers no penalties.
When skinless at night a soucouyant appears
as a version of its daytime self, but a grizzly one indeed,
with skin peeled away, revealing muscle, veins, and flesh
beneath. The eyes are like black pools with an eerie glint
that shies dimly in the darkness.
At dark, after the twilight has faded, dusk
gives way to night, the soucouyant is able to cast an illusion
about itself in one ABC of time, this causing it to seem to
be the form of another human, Alfar, or veshoge race at the
creature wills. Mannerisms and voice will depend on the skill
of the soucouyant in regards to its mimicry Knack and use
of Pretense Ability.
Soucouyant: CF:1: A rare and highly intelligent
Demonical creature.
H 62-120 P 56-65 S 17-20 AEPs (4 x
Speed)
Abilities (base number shown –5 + d6 x 5
for score where variable is indicated): Arcana 50-75, Hunt
40-65, Minstrelsy 55-80, Pretense 55-80, Savagery 50, Scrutiny
40-65, Stealth 65-90, Tricks 60, Unarmed Combat 65.
Also, about one in six of these creatures
possess an Extraordinary Ability a variable one determined
by LM’s choice or randomly (d3) Enchantment at 50 to 75 in
increments of 5 (45 + d6 x 5), Necrourgy at 50 to 75 (ditto),
or Psychogenic at 50 to 75 (ditto)—any Extraordinary Ability
use not above Good/preternatural Grade.
Note: All Abilities possessed are usable
by the soucouyant only when the creature is in its skin, and
during the day. No soucouyant possesses Weapons Ability!
Knack: All of these creatures have the ability
to mimic a human-humanoid male, female, or child’s voice at
from 65-90 score.
Attacks: There are many forms of attack
available to the soucouyant, each detailed below:
Normal Unarmed Combat: 2 (clawed) foot attacks
for 2-12 +24 Harm each, or 3 (clawed) hand attacks for 2-8
+24 Harm—Savagery and Tricks Abilities adding 11 to the bonus
Harm.
Demonical Bite: 1 mouth-bite for 1-8 plus
3-5 preternatural Harm; additionally, in its raw (out-of skin)
state, the slimy layer covering the surface of its skinless
body inflicts 2-5 acid Harm each ABC of such contact with
a victim’s exposed skin. (The acid is not strong enough to
affect armor, but if it gets on normal clothing it will be
quite uncomfortable to the skin below.) The slime coating
that conveys the acid is almost adhesive, so it must be washed
off or wiped away, or it will stay and fester.
Special Kiss-Bite: Harm as above (1-8 plus
3-5 preternatural), and the kiss and bite of this creature
produces a very euphoric effect on the victim, rendering that
individual in a state of decidedly sensual pleasure during
which he or she is effectively paralyzed and incapable of
all but the most feeble protestations for one AB of time following
this attack. In the case of a successful kiss-bite attack,
the soucouyant adds to its own Health total one-half of the
of the Harm it inflicts, and any Health achieved thus that
exceeds the creature’s normal BR total is a false total that
is lost first from any Harm it suffers.
During the day, when it wears its skin,
the creature's kiss-bite attack is reduced in effectiveness
to 50% of night attack of this sort, resulting Harm of only
1-4 plus 1-2 preternatural, and the chance of euphoric paralysis
from this attack is not automatic, the victim having a 50%
chance for avoiding it, the paralyzing effect lasting only
2 ABCs if it occurs. Regardless of whether the victim becomes
incapable of moving, there will be a preternaturally pleasant
sensation accompanying the attack.
Flaming Form: Fiery contact (five-foot diameter
of effect) for 9-12 fire/heat Harm, with possible incidental
combustion of inflammable clothing and/or surroundings for
at least an added 1-2 Harm where applicable. When in out-of-skin
state (at night) this demonical creature can turn itself into
a ball of fire. Transformation requires one ABC of time,
and the spherical form engendered is three feet in diameter.
It can transform into a fireball while wearing its skin, but
this destroys the soucouyant’s skin. In such state the creature
must quickly get another skin (see below), or face the disabilities
described for sunlight and existence in the daytime. When
in this fireball form during the day it does not suffer Harm
thus (see below), however it is extremely conspicuous, and
must be in constant motion, essentially becoming rolling ball
of fire.
While in this form it can travel at about
40 mph—177 feet in one ABC of time, or 59 feet per second!
It cannot move slower than 10 mph—44.25 feet in one ABC of
time, or 14.75 feet per second—while in the form of a Fireball.
The creature can turn at a 90-degree angle in one second’s
movement time regardless of its rolling speed, so to reverse
it’s course it must travel at least two seconds, the path
of movement tracing a curve, and to return to its original
path another second of movement is needed to complete a “loop”.
This movement path, if immediately commenced, enables the
soucouyant to return to an original position at the end of
one ABC, pass through it in the first second of the following
ABC. The soucouyant can maintain this form for up to two
hours, no longer. At the expiration of that time, it automatically
resumes its humanoid form.
A soucouyant is completely immune to fire/heat-based
attacks in this state, whether they are natural, preternatural
or supernatural in nature.
Defense: 6 for a constant negative energy
of preternatural sort, plus 6 for Unarmed Combat Ability when
so able, so thus 12, and is Minstrelsy Ability is employed
to reduce Harm by 5 to 8 more (10% of minstrelsy score), thus
17 to 20 armor/protection. Note in the case of Minstrelsy
Ability use in this regard, the creature’s attack chance suffers
a penalty of twice the protection benefit, -10 to –16 from
that chance.
Anti-Powers/Checks: At night the soucouyant
must shed its human skin, and this requires one AB of time
to do. At dawn it must resume its skin, again the process
requiring one AB of time. The creature is thus forced to
have a hideaway in which to leave and reclaim its human skin.
If this skin is found by a foe, and salt is smeared upon it,
the soucouyant will upon donning the skin suffer 2d8 Harm
each ABC until it is dead (-1 or less Health). During this
period, it has a chance equal to its Speed Base Rating of
removing the skin once more, if it concentrates upon this
each ABC. A success, however, means that three additional
ABC’s time must be spent completing the process. It is in
great pain when wearing a salted skin, and reacts with a 15
penalty addition to all Ability and combat success d% rolls
while so affected. Note: A returning soucouyant can detect
salt on its skin, and if it is a cautious one, has reason
to suspect it is being hunted, it will use its Scrutiny Ability
with a 10 to 30 bonus to the chance for spotting the salt.
Before wearing the salted skin again, the creature must wash
it thoroughly in fresh water for at least one minute of time
to remove the salt.
Salt also does Harm to this creature when
it is in its raw (skinless) state at night. A handful of
salt thrown so as to hit a soucouyant will cause the creature
great pain, resulting in a +10 penalty to all Ability and
attack d% rolls for the following 2 ABCs, and delivering 2-5
Harm to the soucouyant. Being hit with one pound of salt
inflicts 8-20 (4d4 +4) Harm on the creature and produces a
penalty of +20 to all Ability and attack d% rolls for the
next 4 ABCs’ time. Immersing a soucouyant in the seawater
will inflict 4-10 (2d4 +2) Harm each ABC of immersion. In
such conditions, the soucouyant is unable to do anything other
than struggle to get out of the saline water, suffers a +10
to all Ability and attack d% rolls for as many ABCs of time
it was immersed in the salty water.
A soucouyant in flaming form is susceptible
to cold attacks. Such attacks deduct 20 from the attacker’s
dice check for successful activation or Weapon use, and any
Extraordinary Harm striking it directly inflict twice the
usual Harm for such cold-based attack.
The soucouyant in skinless, raw state cannot
stand direct sunlight, and one will suffer severe sunburn
for 1d8 Harm each ABC it is so exposed. The Harm is not inflicted
by the brightness of the light but rather from the ultra-violet
rays of the sun’s radiance.
Wealth found in the habitation of a soucouyant
is a mass of randomly hoarded things including arms, armor,
items of equipment, loose coins, crystals, gems, jewelry,
etc, of $50,000 to $500,000 or more value (d10 x 50,000, a
result of 10 indicating a re-roll, and if a 9 results, add
d4 x $50,000 to the pervious total, a second 10 adding d10
x $50,000 to the total. There is a 60% chance for d4 very
minimal and/or d3 minimal Extraordinary item, a 50% chance
for d2 low moderate item(s), a 40% chance for one moderate
item, a 35% chance for one good item, a 30% chance for one
very good Extraordinary Item, a 20% chance for one strong
Extraordinary item, and a 10% chance for one Very strong object
in a typical soucouyant hoard.
(Angel Stewart with Gary Gygax) |
